Veteran, NEADS at odds over dog

Last year, the 44-year-old Marine combat veteran was matched with a black Labrador retriever through NEADS, which trains assistance dogs for deaf and disabled people. Damon suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and said the dog enabled him to socialize and shop for groceries without suffering the disabling panic attacks that plagued him in public.

"Before she came into my life, I couldn't even go to the supermarket," said Damon, who served two combat tours in Iraq and belongs to the National Guard. "Maxine opened a lot of doors for me. I became social again. I was making friends. I was smiling."

Now, however, Damon says the symptoms of his disability — the reason he was matched with a dog in the first place — have led NEADS to remove the pet from his home.

While NEADS declined to address Damon's specific situation, the veteran acknowledged that he forgot to get Maxine vaccinated and said he once took her off her leash in the woods, which is a NEADS no-no. He said forgetfulness is a symptom of his PTSD; he often forgets to take his own meds and collects SSDI due to his psychological disability.

When NEADS learned that Maxine hadn't received her shots last November, the program asked to meet with him late last month, at which point Maxine was removed.

"I broke down and cried," Damon said, adding that the NEADS staff also disapproved because he got a guinea pig. "I was absolutely devastated. I don't understand why they can't work with me."

Lowry Heussler, a lawyer for NEADS, said the organization won't comment on clients due to confidentiality issues. But she said dogs are only returned when it's "absolutely necessary" to protect the animal.

"When a dog is trained to address a psychological disorder, we have to carefully monitor the situation to ensure that some of the conditions of the disability don't place the dog in harm's way," Heussler said. "The only time we've ever exercised our right to have the dog returned is when the client persists in endangering the dog and we're unable to effect a behavioral change in the client. …When a veterinarian tells us that a dog's health is in jeopardy, we have no choice."

Damon's lawyer, John Rockwood, said he's working with NEADS and hopes to get his client reunited with Maxine. Damon, meanwhile, disputed that the dog's health was ever at risk, and said he was never given a chance to correct any mistakes.

"NEADS is an unbelievable program, and it's phenomenal that it's helping veterans," Damon said. "I understand these dogs cost a lot of money, but Maxine was never in danger."

The Princeton-based NEADS has trained more than 1,400 assistance dogs since 1976. In 2006 it started its Canines for Combat Veterans program and has placed more than 55 dogs with veterans at no cost.

Damon is a divorced father of two who lives alone. His girlfriend, Beverly Jones, said she's watched his condition deteriorate since losing Maxine.

"He had been making such great strides," she said. "The dog provided a safety net. He loved that dog, and there was never a point I felt she was neglected or wasn't cared for. But I think NEADS' expectations of what some of these veterans can do is unrealistic. NEADS cares about the dog. They don't fully understand the owner of the dog."

Damon said he was reluctant to criticize NEADS and understands the program's concern for its dogs. He's just hoping for a second chance with Maxine and another chance at a normal life.

"I feel like I lost a family member," he said. "I just want my dog back."